ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash

Ambassador Ashok Sajjanhar served in the Indian Foreign Service for over three decades. During his distinguished career, he served as India’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Sweden, and Latvia, and held key diplomatic assignments in Washington, D.C., Brussels, Moscow, Geneva, Tehran, Dhaka, and Bangkok. Today, Ambassador Sajjanhar regularly writes and speaks on issues related to international relations...

J. Sai Deepak is a senior advocate at the Supreme Court of India and a well-known author. His books include 'India, That Is Bharat: Coloniality, Civilisation, Constitution' and 'India, Bharat and Pakistan: The Constitutional Journey of a Sandwiched Civilisation.' In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, J. Sai Deepak talks about the demographic changes taking place in...

In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, we are joined by Constantino Xavier, Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy and Security Studies at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP), and Dinkar Srivastava, former diplomat and Distinguished Fellow at the Vivekananda International Foundation. They discuss the upcoming elections in Bangladesh, the future of the Awami League, and the...

Gaur Gopal Das is a life coach, author, and motivational speaker. He studied at the College of Engineering, Pune, and briefly worked with Hewlett Packard. Soon after, he chose a very different path and became a monk and has been living in an ashram in Mumbai for the past 26 years. Over the years, he has studied ancient Indian philosophy along with modern psychology. For more than two decades, he h...

Sanjeev Sanyal is a historian, economist, author, and currently serves as a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India. In this edition of the Podcast with Smita Prakash, he uncovers colonial ‘lies’ in India’s history. He talks about his project on INSV Kaundinya, showcasing India’s ancient maritime exploration. He speaks on the IndiGo crisis, freebies, pensions, and th...

The much-awaited episode of The ‘Real’ Samosa Caucus –Edition 7.0 is here, packed with raw, uncensored, and no-holds-barred conversations. Joining the panel are: Sushant Sareen, Senior Fellow at ORF Tehseen Poonawalla, TV personality and political analyst Anand Ranganathan, author and scientist Abhijit Iyer-Mitra, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies This episode dives into...

In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, we are joined by Lt. Col. Pavithran Rajan, a former intelligence officer, academic, and tech entrepreneur, and Ambassador Anil Trigunayat, a former Indian Foreign Service officer and Distinguished Fellow at the Vivekananda International Foundation. Together, they discuss India’s narrative war against Pakistan and why winning this battle is cru...

Bina Ramani is a fashion designer, author, and entrepreneur. She pioneered India’s boutique culture, played a key role in shaping Delhi’s Hauz Khas Village, and was a key witness in the Jessica Lal case. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Bina Ramani recalls memories of the Kapoor family, including Raj Kapoor, and speaks about her romantic association with Shammi Kapoor. She al...

Taran Adarsh is a leading film trade analyst and renowned critic. With decades of experience, he is considered one of the most trusted voices on box office trends and reviews. Bhawana Somaaya is an Indian film journalist, critic, author and historian. She was conferred the Padma Shri in 2017. She has written over 13 books on Hindi cinema and iconic Bollywood personalities. In this episode of the A...

Talmiz Ahmad is one of India’s most experienced diplomats, with decades of work across West Asia, the Gulf, and global strategic affairs. A former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE, he has watched world politics change from the front row. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Ambassador Ahmad breaks down India–Russia ties and why the West is rattled by New Delhi’s inde...

Madhuri Dixit is one of the film icons that India has loved for over four decades. From Mohini in 'Tezaab' to Nisha in 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun' and Chandramukhi in 'Devdas', her characters live on in people’s memories. Her dance, her expressions, her screen presence, they shaped an entire generation of moviegoers. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Madhuri...

Namrata Soni is one of India’s most celebrated makeup artists. Over the last two decades, she has worked with the biggest names in the industry and even built her own beauty brand, 'Simply Nam'. In this episode of the ANI Podcast, she talks about her early years, when female makeup artists were banned from working in Bollywood. She shares how Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan stood by her. Na...

Dr. (Col) Joy Dev Mukherji is one of India’s top neurologists with over 28 years of experience. After serving in the Armed Forces Medical Services, he joined Max Healthcare in 2006, where he continues to practice as a senior neurologist. He has spoken at medical forums across India and abroad, published several research papers, and received many honours, including the Chief of Army Staff’s Commend...

Himani Shivpuri is famous for playing motherly and memorable character roles in Hindi Cinema. She has acted in many hit films like Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Hero No. 1, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Bandhan, and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Himani Shivpuri shares fun stories about Govinda. She talks about special moments from the se...

On 10th November 2025, a terror blast near the Red Fort shook the capital. For the first time in over a decade, Delhi witnessed an attack in the heart of the city. Early investigations pointed to Pakistan-backed terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed. The attackers were doctors and engineers. Is this the rise of white-collar terrorism in India? Was the Delhi blast a retaliation by Pakistan after India str...

Arun Kumar is Associate Editor of the Hindustan Times, with over three and a half decades of experience covering Jharkhand and Bihar. Ravi Upadhyay is a Senior Journalist who has worked with the news agency UNI for several years in Chandigarh and Patna. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, senior journalists break down the latest opinion polls, voter trends and ground realities f...

Chirag Paswan is the Founder and Chief of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). He serves as the Union Minister for Food Processing Industries in the NDA government. His party is contesting 29 seats in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. In this episode of The ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Chirag speaks about his party’s prospects in the Bihar polls and shares his political ambitions. He calls Pri...

Prashant Kishor, the man who has designed winning election campaigns for leaders across party lines, is now in the political battlefield himself. After the first phase of the Bihar polls, Kishor speaks his mind like never before. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he calls migrant workers the “real X-factor” of this election. He claims that “Nitish is going” and that the people...

Sanjay Kumar Jha is a member of the Rajya Sabha and serves as the National Working President of Janata Dal (United). He is also the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Sanjay Jha discusses the dynamics of NDA's Modi-Nitish factor, record voter turnout in the first phase of the Bihar election, and...

Soha Ali Khan is an actor, author, podcaster, and one of the most articulate voices from the Pataudi family. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Soha opens up about fame, family, and finding her own identity away from the shadow of her legendary parents, Sharmila Tagore and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. She talks about Rang De Basanti, why she chose to step away from films, and what...

D. Sivanandhan is one of Mumbai’s most respected former Police Commissioners, a man who saw the city’s darkest days up close, from the bloody gang wars of the 1990s to the 1993 bomb blasts that shook Mumbai. He led the fight against Dawood Ibrahim’s underworld empire and is known for cleaning up the mafia. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, D. Sivanandhan takes us back to that...

Ajai Chowdhry is one of India’s leading tech visionaries and a co-founder of HCL, the company that helped build India’s computer revolution. Over the decades, he has advised governments and industry leaders on how to make India a true technology powerhouse. He is also the chairman of the EPIC Foundation, an initiative aimed at developing electronic products of national importance and driving India...

Jaiveer Shergill is a Supreme Court lawyer and national spokesperson of the BJP. He is known for his sharp arguments, nuanced views, and fearless commentary. Once among the Congress party’s national spokespersons, he made headlines when he quit the party, citing “sycophancy over merit,” before joining the BJP. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Jaiveer Shergill opens up about P...

Prahlad Kakkar is one of India’s most iconic ad filmmakers. He is the man behind some of the most memorable commercials in Indian advertising history, including “Yehi Hai Right Choice Baby! Aha!” for Pepsi and the “2 Minutes!” Maggi noodles ad. Known for his sharp wit, creativity, and fearless storytelling, he is called the ‘adman’ of India. For over 40 years, Kakkar has changed how brands talk to...

Sudhir Chaudhary is one of India’s most prominent television journalists, known for his sharp news analysis, bold opinions and decades-long career in broadcast media. He has been at the forefront of Indian journalism’s evolution and its many controversies. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Sudhir Chaudhary opens up like never before, on the TRP-driven state of TV news, the pre...